Correspondence from Western Region

The Chiefs and people of Teleku-Bokazo in Ellembelle District of the Western Region have offered intercessory fasting and prayers to God to intervene and stop the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

It was organized by the Chief of the community, Nana Afful Kwaw II in collaboration with the Teleku-Bokazo Local Council of Churches and the Muslim community.

The session which lasted for 13 hours, took the Chief and some religious leaders in the area to the local FM in the community to pray and sensitize residents about the danger of the Coronavirus.

The move follows the nationwide fasting and prayers organized by President Akufo-Addo in the wake of pandemic.

In an interview with GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku after the programme, the traditional ruler of Teleku-Bokazo, Nana Afful Kwaw II disclosed the regional behind it.

He said since there was no cure for the virus, only God could deliver the world.

He added that their last hope left is God and he believed God has power to do anything hence their reason to organise the fasting and prayers to ask God to intervene.

"Right now, our last hope left is God and unless God intervenes and this means that is only God who has power to do anything so I had a vision to organise fasting and prayers to pray for the country despite President Akufo-Addo's nationwide fasting and prayers", he said.

He, therefore, seized the opportunity to commend the religious bodies in his area for supporting his vision and expressed happiness over the programme.

"In fact, I am very happy about the programme and our pastors and Imam in this town have done well", he acknowledged.

The Chief urged the country not to joke with the disease because it is very dangerous.

"This disease is very dangerous, a disease that we don't use our naked eyes to see you will be there and the only thing you hear is someone has been infected so don't let us joke with it because it is dangerous especially our youth", he emphasized.

He advised the school children in his area and Ghana as a whole to stay at home and avoid patronising clubs and beaches.

"This disease has affected my children's education, right now they are at home and they don't know when they are going back to school so let us continue to pray earnestly because this disease doesn't respect any human being, let us protect ourselves".

Sensitization and preventive measures

Nana Afful Kwaw II said his authority has stationed Veronica buckets with liquid soaps and tissue papers at the vantage points of the community.

He disclosed that he and elders have been visiting households to sensitise his residents about the need to protect themselves against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

"We have provided Veronica buckets at the vantage points in the town so that our people will use to wash their hands and the Ellembelle District Assembly too has supported us with some Veronica buckets, we thank our Queen Mother for also supporting us with Veronica buckets. We are currently doing house-to-house campaign against the disease", he concluded.

On his part, the Chairman of Local Council of Churches at Teleku-Bokazo, Rev. Gadikor Mensah lauded the Chief and his Elders for having the vision to organise such an important programme for them to pray against the deadly Coronavirus.

He disclosed that when they heard about the Coronavirus somewhere last year, they became afraid and planned to pray against it, adding that the Chief's vision has come at the right time.

"Somewhere in December last year we heard there is a deadly disease called COVID-19 has come and we thought it is far away from us but when we entered into 2020 we heard it has visited us in this country and the way some experts are talking about it that it does not have a cure so we became afraid", he stressed.

"...It upon this and our Chief saw the need to organize fasting and prayers so that God will intervene and also the need to follow what President Akufo-Addo did some weeks ago. We are praying to God to have mercy on us", he added.

He said they knew that the name Jesus Christ is powerful and if all righteous people run to him, all things would be normal.

Rev. Gadikor Mensah believed that with God the COVID-19 would vanish from the world and urged all believers to continue to pray earnestly.

"Since we are believers, we have beliefs that if we pray, God will listen to us and if the disease will not go at all because of our prayers it will vanish immediately so we believe this dangerous disease will run away from us", he said.

He continued, "Our Chief is a Christian and a member of The Church of Pentecost so we are not surprised he organised this wonderful programme, God bless him".

He disclosed that apart from prayers, they were educating their Church members to adhere to the directives outlined by the Ghana Health Service and World Health Organization and called on them to wash their hands with soap under running water frequently.

The Chief Imam of Teleku-Bokazo, Mallam Adamu Abubakar hailed the Traditional Chief of the area for organising such intercessory fasting and prayers against COVID-19.

He pledged his commitment to pray and fast frequently for the world against the disease.

He disclosed that they had been closed their mosque to ensure social distancing protocol.

He believed that Allah would save the world from this deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

He therefore called on other Muslims to always pray against the Coronavirus and asked other Communities to emulate what the Chief of Teleku-Bokazo had done.